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you don't mind eternally renting
you have lots of disposable income
you have no kids
are into the bar and club culture.
looking for diversity
enjoy hot to warm weather year round
Coming from the friendly South, you will have some sticker shock and wonder why there are so many mean and agressive people, not rude necessarly, but they will leave the impression of being MEAN...it is a big difference from other big cities where you would expect run of the mill "rudeness". Here there is so much indifference and detachment, people don't even care enough to be rude LOL. But, you will see this when you ask for help in stores, if you expect a "your welcome" back, if you need eye contact when paying cashiers, if you are lost and ask strangers or employees for directions, if you have a question, etc...
But, people with money here tend to cacoon themselves in certain islands of wealth near the beach...or live behind walls (literally 11 feet high) or in condo high rises to keep the "problems" out of sight, out of mind. This definantly is not a community, it is just a large conglomeration of people trying to scrape by, party goers who fell in love with the palm trees and beach breeze...and the rich jet setters. So it really depends what you are looking for, what you want for your company and for your emplyees.
Many companies are leaving the region as oppsoed to setting up shop due to high costs of doing business here and because they don't feel they can attract emplyees who will work for their wages since the cost of living here is so ridiculous. But, that doesn't mean you shouldn't relocate...but it is indicative of problems in this area.
Come down here for say a month...in July...drive around at rush hour...see if it is what you expect it to be...shop at the stores....be inquisitve, ask questions...see how knowledgeable and helpful people are...do the touristy stuff...and you will get a better feel for the area, and certainly you will see how people tend to behave and treat each other here if you are not staying at a hotel. I think you will be able to make your decision after that!
I think it all depends, and every individuals situation is different.
I have 2 children and have them involved in so much recreation....not tomention, it's all within a 5 minute drive from us (which is convenient). They ice skate weekly, Pee Wee Soccer/Baseball (depending on the season), Hip Hop dance class, etc. Not to mention there are so many awesome parks to choose from, almost on every block (so to speak). Of course I WILL agree that is IS hot a lot of the time...too hot to stay in a park more than an hour LOL. But that's why I like that I involve my children in lots of indoor recreation.
As for the friendliness...I have never noticed more friendly people since I have my kids (I lived here prior to having them), and whether its the mall we frequent, or our supermarket...employees come up to us and greet my children by their names. It's a great feeling.
It's not all about the club scene. It is what you make it. We're passed the "club scene" age, and we enjoy other kinds of fun now (dining, local events going on, etc.).
I will also agree that the cost of living is high, but..........I also tend to think it balances out really....we have high property taxes, but no state tax...and based on my husbands salary (P.A.), that would be a HUGE chunk taken out yearly if we had state tax. LOL We have no food tax, we have low sales tax, etc.
So I think it all depends on what you're looking for, but I think you can find a little bit of everything here.
I own a small software development company and I am considering moving it from Raleigh, NC to Miami - Fort Lauderdale Florida.
I have 12 employees all under the age of 30, all single guys.
Can anyone tell me what life is like when you are young and single in South Florida?
What are the people like, is there a good portion of the population that is in their twenties?
What are the downsides of living in South Florida?
Thank you so much for your help.
This is South Florida...why do you think it's famous?! Huge night life, lots of young people (20's - 30's), and did I mention this is what South Florida's famous for?
So here's my advice...do what you like but DO NOT flirt with girls that have boyfriends or dates. I know many guys who have ended up in trouble due to this. So if you see a girl with a guy that's looking your way...unless you are 100% sure she's not with him...MOVE ON!
With that said...enjoy yourself. Once you get sick and tired of clubbing and going to bars you will have to look in more level headed places for a real girlfriend. Because the downside of a party town is meeting tons of shallow people who tend to be on the skanky side. Try your local Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, whatever.
As for friends? People are pretty friendly so I believe you'll have an easy time with that. Just make sure to approach people or friends of friends...and you'll be fine.
I'm from Miami , live in NC and consider S. Fl still a good choice for living or going there. Its good. Central and North Florida are cheaper housing market wise but the So. Florida area is unique. Yes lots of Fl people are now in NC but we still love Miami
Man, I strongly urge you to reconsider moving from Raleigh to Miami/Ft L...
No matter what some ppl may tell you on here, I can tell you from experience. Raleigh is a much nicer, friendlier, attractive place to live. I hope some of you dont believe me, who knows, I may be going back one day... but seriously, I dont see any positives that Miami/FT L has over Raleigh... NONE
And let me remind you, I am very familiar with both places, trust me on this one. How many ppl you know are moving out of Raleigh to go to Miami? And how many ppl u know are moving (getting the hell outta Miami) and moving to places like Raleigh???????????????????
Maybe the reason the rates are so much cheaper from Raleigh to Miami is because the feel sorry for you? I can see the U-haul man now, "you are moving to Miami? Leaving NC for Miami?" LOL!
Man, I strongly urge you to reconsider moving from Raleigh to Miami/Ft L...
No matter what some ppl may tell you on here, I can tell you from experience. Raleigh is a much nicer, friendlier, attractive place to live. I hope some of you dont believe me, who knows, I may be going back one day... but seriously, I dont see any positives that Miami/FT L has over Raleigh... NONE
And let me remind you, I am very familiar with both places, trust me on this one. How many ppl you know are moving out of Raleigh to go to Miami? And how many ppl u know are moving (getting the hell outta Miami) and moving to places like Raleigh???????????????????
Maybe the reason the rates are so much cheaper from Raleigh to Miami is because the feel sorry for you? I can see the U-haul man now, "you are moving to Miami? Leaving NC for Miami?" LOL!
I'll help you out. In addition to the much warmer weather, perhaps something like air quality is important. Hmmm, I believe our children and us all breathe the air pretty regularly.
Raleigh and the surrounding area is home to many chemical companies and heavy industry. In fact our largest supplier is in that area. The percentage of days with clean air in Raleigh is 47-65%...depending on exactly what area you are in. The Miami area has good air days ranging from 75%-90%, again depending on what part of the area you are in. Once you get to any of the suburbs, the ratings are all 90%. Raleigh's suburbs top out at 65%.
So with a little work we were able to find a tiny little way Miami and that area is better....air that you can actually breathe.
Man, I strongly urge you to reconsider moving from Raleigh to Miami/Ft L...
No matter what some ppl may tell you on here, I can tell you from experience. Raleigh is a much nicer, friendlier, attractive place to live. I hope some of you dont believe me, who knows, I may be going back one day... but seriously, I dont see any positives that Miami/FT L has over Raleigh... NONE
And let me remind you, I am very familiar with both places, trust me on this one. How many ppl you know are moving out of Raleigh to go to Miami? And how many ppl u know are moving (getting the hell outta Miami) and moving to places like Raleigh???????????????????
Maybe the reason the rates are so much cheaper from Raleigh to Miami is because the feel sorry for you? I can see the U-haul man now, "you are moving to Miami? Leaving NC for Miami?" LOL!
Have you ever even been to Miami? For some people, there is more to life than the alleged "Crime", "Hispanics", and "rude people" that aren't supposed to exist in Raleigh (but do), but these can be considered Raleigh's positives where it has an advantage. So if that's all you want in life, less crime, less hispanics, and less rude people, then yes, Raleigh has a plus in every category.
The rates are more expensive to go to Raleigh because a system of realtors, contractors, and loan brokers there really loves the fact that people in Florida and the Northeast really think it's some Shangri-La. I wish I could get a heads up on that business right now! North Carolina was missing out on the bubble and now they too want their own unsustainable disposable form of society to develop and ruin their very beautiful state. Well, the natives don't, kind of like in Florida...
Not saying it's not better if you have five year old kids and you like good service at Chuck E' Cheese (By the way I have had bad service in Cary, NC the promised land, I don't understand this forums obsession with customer service like it really varies by city), nor is it a less stressful lifestyle and all, but to say any place is "better", Miami/Ft. L or Raleigh is kind of ridiculous.
Bottom line? The Carolina exodus is more economic than anything, but a lot of powerful economic interests love that it's been perceived as the new panacea.
Last edited by compelled to reply; 02-10-2008 at 06:43 PM..
As a businessman myself. I can tell you that bringing a business to South Florida is not usually a smart move. In your case it may be OK as you may not need a warehouse, or a lot of office space. Software is often created under informal conditions, some work at home, some in the office, etc. Your big problem will be employee morale. You will have to pay at least 50K to retain your employees or they will start the "Miami turnover". If you absolutely MUST come to south Florida, avoid Miam-Dade county altogether. There are still a few good places in Broward or Palm beach, and Miami-Dade county has a horrible government, and trys hard to make traffic a constant nightmare. South Beach is a dump, highly overrated. Living in south Florida also gives you that "clausterphobic" feeling. Not sure how it is where you are at now, though.
Have you ever even been to Miami? For some people, there is more to life than the alleged "Crime", "Hispanics", and "rude people" that aren't supposed to exist in Raleigh (but do), but these can be considered Raleigh's positives where it has an advantage. So if that's all you want in life, less crime, less hispanics, and less rude people, then yes, Raleigh has a plus in every category.
The rates are more expensive to go to Raleigh because a system of realtors, contractors, and loan brokers there really loves the fact that people in Florida and the Northeast really think it's some Shangri-La. I wish I could get a heads up on that business right now! North Carolina was missing out on the bubble and now they too want their own unsustainable disposable form of society to develop and ruin their very beautiful state. Well, the natives don't, kind of like in Florida...
Not saying it's not better if you have five year old kids and you like good service at Chuck E' Cheese (By the way I have had bad service in Cary, NC the promised land, I don't understand this forums obsession with customer service like it really varies by city), nor is it a less stressful lifestyle and all, but to say any place is "better", Miami/Ft. L or Raleigh is kind of ridiculous.
We lived in Chapel Hill for a year and spent plenty of time in Raleigh. Bored to tears. We found the people very vanilla. We went to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game, the fans were all sitting on their hands looking around at each other. I find that entire area lacking any kind of passion or spice at all.
The rates are more expensive to go to Raleigh because a system of realtors, contractors, and loan brokers there really loves the fact that people in Florida and the Northeast really think it's some Shangri-La. I wish I could get a heads up on that business right now! North Carolina was missing out on the bubble and now they too want their own unsustainable disposable form of society to develop and ruin their very beautiful state. Well, the natives don't, kind of like in Florida...
With all due respect, realtors, contractors, and loan brokers have nothing to do with the rate charged to rent a moving van from one part of the country to the other. You speak as if there's some sort of conspiracy going on, when it's a simple matter of volume.
The Triangle (NC, not Opa-Locka) has too many trucks in the local inventory because of the continuous influx of new residents. South Florida has too few, due to the exodus that's taking place. Hence, Budget charges $1700 to bring trucks from inventory-poor Miami to inventory-rich Raleigh. And, they charge 90 bucks for people going in the reverse direction.
Incidentally, U-Haul is charging something along the lines of $950 for the southbound trip out of Raleigh (though, if I remember correctly, I think their charge to rent a van going the other way is comparable to that of Budget). That might be something to consider for a do-it-yourself mover who's planning a move from the Triangle area to Miami.
Cj, complete BS. You ever go to a bobcats game, a tarheels game, or nc state football game?
you want to talk about a lack of passion, how about going to a marlins/yankees game, or a heat/knicks game... oh yeah, there's plenty of passion, for THE OTHER TEAMS. Gimme a break, no passion in NC? Plenty of pride in NC, unlike many parts of S FL, where ppl dont go to FL games b/c they dont even root for the FL teams, they go to root for the NY/Philly/Chicago teams that are in town.
Bored to tears? Atleast they can go out at night and feel safe with their families, even if it is considered "boring." A lot of ppl dont even go into Miami anymore. They are afraid. Yup, that's the kind of spice I want in my life, LOL!
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Good Luck
